The Heart of the Beatitudes - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In 2018, Pope Francis wrote his encyclical “Gaudete et Exultate” (Rejoice and Be Glad). Its text is not doctrinal and its style is non-academic because this letter simply wants to “re-propose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time.” Through it, he emphasizes that following Christ is “a way of life,” not an intellectual exercise. In the third chapter of this encyclical, the Pope presents the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus spoke about the Beatitudes presenting them as “the Christians’ identity card.” These Beatitudes are the secret of how we can follow Jesus concretely and live his gospel even today.

Today’s gospel reading (Mt. 5:17-37) presents to us a portion of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus teaches his disciples the “new commandment.” He makes it clear that he is not abolishing Moses’ Decalogue; in fact, he fulfills them. Moreover, he actually gives God’s commandments a new spirit, a new understanding and a new fervor in applying them in life. For Jesus, obeying the law is not a matter of external observance. There must be the spirit of love and faith as the reason behind its observance. One does not automatically gain God’s favor by fulfilling a set of practices. Instead, we become holy by living our lives with love and witnessing God’s goodness in everything we do. Jesus wants us to live our lives with intentionality.

What makes the commandment pleasing to God is the heart with which we do it. It is in and from the heart that the commandments blossoms and bears fruit. Thus, it is not enough that we do not kill. Jesus wants us to choose the way of peace and compassion by practicing self-control over our anger. Holiness means, forgiving despite the hurt. On the issue of adultery, Jesus wants married persons to choose fidelity in relationships. The challenge is always to be true to God, to ourselves and to others. This is the radical way of life that Jesus invites us.

Prayer: Lord, may I follow your commandments not out of obligation, but with the intention of loving you whole-heartedly. Amen. 

Be Like Salt - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I invited Fr. Bobby Ebisa, SVD the Station Manager of DYRF Radio Fuerza to celebrate one of the Novena Masses in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes. He gave an inspiring and insightful homily. Using a simple illustration, he narrated an example of a chocolate that falls on the dining hall. After several minutes it will soon be surrounded by thousands of covetous ants. You would not know where they came from; but from all over, they come, attracted by the sugar-coated content of the chocolate, to take a bite of its sweetness. He, then, challenged the parishioners to be like chocolates. Our goodness must be attractive and delightful. We are to give flavor to life.

Jesus, in today’s gospel, had been challenging us ever since to be “salt of the earth and light of the world.” In chemistry, salt is known as sodium chloride a mineral substance that is of great importance to the health of both human and animals. Salt lends flavor to food items. I remember a parishioner who gave cupcakes for snacks. But they turned out to be so salty because, instead of sugar, much salt was added into them. Moreover, there are more uses of salt than food seasoning. Salt can also be used to eliminate odors of garbage or fish. It can be used to alleviate discomfort from sore throat by gargling salt with warm water several times a day. Salt can also be used as effective antibacterial and antifungal agent.

When Jesus compared his followers to salt, he challenged us to be “seasoned” by the new life which comes from him. Our faith in Jesus should be like salt that lends flavor and seasoning to our life. In a world full of anxiety and worry, we are to give joy and inspire hope. In a story, two men peered through the window. One saw mud, the other saw the stars. As Christians, we should always choose see the stars. We choose to be hopeful, joyful and full of life. We are to be bearers of the good news of Jesus to improve the quality of life of the world.

Prayer: Lord, like salt, may my life be an effective flavoring that will allow those around me to flourish. Amen.